Look At Me
by MonochromeWorld132
Summary: A GokuHaru fanfic on how Haru fails to make Tsuna like her and ends up making someone else do, Gokudera. Gokudera who deny these feelings help her in all the stupid situations she puts herself in. Will they look at themselves with honest feelings?
1. Chapter 1: I like him

Chapter 1

It was Haru's most awaited day, the day when she turns first year in high school. She finally was in the same school as her long time crush, Tsunayoshi Sawada. Each step towards the school was filled with happiness. As she walked through the school gates, she could see the beautiful cherry blossom trees surrounding the entrance. The trees led towards the huge school building.

She excitedly looked at the list of classes and saw that she belonged to class 1-2. She ran her finger through the list to see if she knew someone from the class. She jumped with joy and happiness when she spotted Tsuna's name on the list. She tried to calm herself and continued checking for familiar names on the list. She was happy and disappointed at the same time when she found Kyoko's name. Her beloved Tsuna was deeply in love with Kyoko, and she knew that. Yet she couldn't hate Kyoko, she was her best friend. Kyoko was always there for her when she was troubled and comforted her a lot. She couldn't just hate her because Tsuna was in love with her.

Haru's thoughts were then interrupted by a voice from behind.

"Oi, you're blocking the way." The voice said in a vexed manner.

She turned to see who it was and was surprised to see that it was Hayato Gokudera, the 'self-proclaimed' right hand man of Tsuna. He had a backpack on his shoulder and a very annoyed expression on his face. It was pretty much normal to her. What actually surprised her was the fact that he was there without Tsuna.

"Ugh, good morning Gokudera-san." She greeted him as she moved away from the list.

Gokudera just shrugged and walked away the moment he saw which class he was in. Haru turned red with anger.

'Not even a reply? Why does he always act like that?' She wondered. 'Does he think he's better than me?'

She tried to keep it all in and forget about it. She was in the same class as the person she liked. She couldn't let some jerk ruin her day, even if that jerk was her crush's best friend. With that, she immediately walked towards her class.

When she reached her class, she looked for her seat right away. Her seat number was indicated on the class list she looked at earlier. She wondered if her seat was near Tsuna or near the window at least. Her excitement turned into utter dismay when she finally found her seat. It was a seat right next to the last person she wanted to see right now.

"Gokudera-san?" She squealed.

Gokudera ignored her and continued to sleep on his desk. Girls started murmuring on how lucky Haru was to be seated beside the hottest freshman in school. On the contrary, Haru sulked in her seat. She didn't care about Gokudera's popularity or how hot he was. The only thing she knew was that this guy was a jerk, and he was the last person she wanted to be with right now.

Haru tried to think positively. She looked for sources of positivity. Her eyes searched the room and spotted Tsuna. She decided to walk towards him to talk but stopped herself when she saw him sitting beside Kyoko. They were talking to each other, happiness eminent in their faces. Her eyes turned sad, and she continued to sulk. Gokudera, who was actually awake, secretly looked at Haru. She looked like she was about to cry. He just ignored her and continued his pretense.

Later on, the teacher started giving orientations and asked everyone to introduce themselves. Haru wasn't in the mood to do such a thing. Her head was too preoccupied with the happenings early that morning. When it was her turn, she forced a smile and tried to sound like her usual energetic self.

"Good morning everyone! I'm Miura Haru. I enjoy cosplay and… well I …love doing all sorts of things." Unable to think of anything else, she quickly sat down.

Her mind was filled with thoughts of jealousy. She actually planned an introduction a few weeks ago, but the plan vanished the moment she saw Tsuna with Kyoko. She lost all her energy and motivation to make a good impression in class.

Next up, it was Gokudera's turn. The moment he stood up, girls started squealing in admiration. Since he just woke up, his hair was in a disarray and covered his face. He conveniently combed his hand through his hair, and it fell perfectly into place. The girls squealed even louder as he sparkled in their eyes. He simply ignored all of them and yawned.

"Gokudera Hayato" That was all he said.

He sat down right away and went back to sleep. Haru looked at him and sweatdropped.

'What an introduction.' She thought as she continued observing Tsuna and Kyoko.

When class was over, Haru approached Tsuna with an energetic expression on her face.

"Hi Tsuna-san! Haru is really glad to be classmates with you for the whole year." She cuddled Tsuna. "Now it will be easy for us to talk about our future desu!"

Tsuna gave her a confused expression. Gokudera also approached Tsuna. He was rubbing his forehead as he just woke up from sleeping through the morning classes.

"Yoh Jyuudaime, let's eat lunch together at the cafeteria." Gokudera offered.

"Yeah, sure." Tsuna turned towards Kyoko and Haru. "See you later." He smiled and left with Gokudera.

Kyoko turned to Haru. "Let's eat lunch together, Haru-chan."

Haru forced a smile and accepted the offer.

Haru and Kyoko sat on the rooftop and ate their lunch. As they ate, they had conversations about good cake shops in town, pretty dresses on sale and many others. Kyoko was really happy to have Haru with her. She finally had someone to talk to, other than Hana who transferred the other year.

Haru on the other hand, tried to look happy. She still remembered seeing Kyoko and Tsuna talking sweetly early that morning. It made her feel uneasy. She felt like she had to do something against it.

"Oh yeah and Haru looks really good with the high scho-"

Kyoko's sentence got cut off as Haru asked,

"Kyoko-chan, what do you think of Tsuna-san?"

It took time for Kyoko to answer. Haru looked at her intently. Haru's expression turned grim as she noticed the blush forming at Kyoko's cheeks. She didn't have to say it. Kyoko was obviously in love with Tsuna.

She detested it. She had to stop this. She couldn't just stay there and do nothing as her best friend was falling for her crush. It was unfair. Tsuna was the first person she ever loved. She did everything she could just to have him. She couldn't just let him go.

"I really like Tsuna-san." She told Kyoko.

Kyoko looked surprised when she heard this, but she smiled afterwards.

"I know." She said.

'You're smile is fake Kyoko-chan. I can see right through you. You're my best friend, but I want to be with Tsuna-san. I'm sorry' Haru thought to herself.

She felt really bad, but she didn't know what could happen if she kept it any longer. She felt like she would break down to see Tsuna with someone else. Seeing how they giggled and blushed at each other made her feel like she was about to lose her mind. It was a choice between her sanity and the feelings of her friend. She knew it was selfish of her, but she chose her sanity.

Hours have passed since lunch, and Haru was still observing Tsuna and Kyoko. They seemed to have stopped talking intimately. She became happy and guilty at the same time. She knew Kyoko was avoiding Tsuna because of her, but it didn't matter. As long as Tsuna could be by her side, she was happy.

"What did you tell Sasagawa, you stupid woman?" Gokudera angrily looked at Haru.

Haru was annoyed with his expression. He wouldn't even look at her a while ago, and now he was at her face making some sort of interrogation.

"What's it got to do with you anyways? It's none of your business!" Haru snapped.

"So you're that desperate to get Jyuudaime's affection, how disgusting." Gokudera calmly said and then slept once more.

Haru was about to yell at him, but the teacher called her attention.

"Miura-san please quiet down." The teacher scolded.

Haru apologized and stayed quiet throughout the discussion. She glared at Gokudera who appeared to be sound asleep.

'What a jerk.' She thought to herself.

When class was finally over, Tsuna asked Kyoko if she wanted to hang out, but she immediately declined and left the classroom. Haru grabbed Tsuna by the arm and smiled.

"Tsuna-san, how about we go somewhere together desu?" She suggested.

"Jyuudaime, Reborn-san asked us to meet him at the training grounds this afternoon." Gokudera announced.

"Alright." Tsuna turned to Haru. "Sorry Haru, maybe some other time."

Tsuna went ahead with a worried look on his face.

"You're lying aren't you Gokudera-san?" Haru glared at Gokudera.

"What's it to you? It's none of your business." He arrogantly said as he started following Tsuna.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you're gay." Haru smirked.

Gokudera glanced at Haru.

"It is funny to hear that from someone who is as desperate as you are." Gokudera smirked back at her and left.

Haru clenched her fist and gritted her teeth in frustration.


	2. Chapter 2: Guilt

Chapter 2

Weeks had passed, and Tsuna's attempts on asking Kyoko out were all rejected. Haru could see the sadness in Kyoko's face every time they ate lunch together. She felt guilty. She loved Kyoko, but she also loved Tsuna. She was aware of how selfish she was becoming, but what could she possibly do?

In the classroom, Haru's mind wandered. She stared at the sky and noticed how vast it was. She admired how beautiful it looked. It reminded her of Tsuna, accepting everything and looking out for everyone. She really loved how Tsuna was. She wanted to be with Tsuna.

She knew he was the one. She used to think of just that, but now she felt insecure. Kyoko was avoiding Tsuna, and Tsuna thinks he might've done something wrong. She was hurting the both of them. Her face got filled with sorrow.

"You look even stupider." She turned and saw Gokudera.

Gokudera acted as if he found something interesting in the teacher's discussion. Haru started to wonder if she really heard him say something or if it was just her imagination. He was still seated in his sleeping position. Only his eyes could be seen as the rest of his face was covered by his arms that were folded on the table. Suddenly, the teacher called his attention.

"Gokudera, stop sleeping! Answer question number five." The teacher ordered.

"Square root of two" Gokudera answered lazily and sat back to his sleeping position.

Haru was shocked to see Gokudera effortlessly answer the question.

"G-G-Gokudera-san's a genius?" She shrieked.

"Obviously." He said wryly.

"You're too conceited for your own good!" She snapped.

"No, it just proves you're an idiot, stupid woman." He snapped back.

"Both of you, stop fighting." The teacher scolded, and they both looked away with pouts on their faces.

'Gokudera-san hasn't changed one bit.' Haru thought and got annoyed with herself for even remembering his name.

When the class ended, Haru approached Tsuna.

"Tsuna-san!" She called.

Tsuna shrugged off Haru's call. "Um, excuse me Haru. I have to go somewhere for a while." He then rushed after Kyoko.

Haru saw how Tsuna ignored her and went after Kyoko. She was right in front of him, but he still decided to go after Kyoko. Why can't he see her? She's always been there for him, but he always went for Kyoko. It hurt her. Her lips curled downwards and tears started to well up in her eyes.

Gokudera was going out of the classroom when he noticed Haru. Seeing Tsuna running off, he got a grasp of what happened. He approached her, still trying to act indifferent.

"Sucks to be you huh?" He grinned slyly.

Haru looked at him with fury and slapped him. Gokudera was taken aback. He saw her face. Tears were sliding down her cheeks. She bumped him hard, grabbed her bag and ran away. Gokudera touched the cheek that Haru slapped. He winced as it hurt quite a bit.

"Stupid Woman." He muttered with a clenched fist.

The next day, Haru arrived in class to see Kyoko and Tsuna on speaking terms again. It made her feel worse. They blushed as they spoke to each other. She had an impression on what might have happened. They probably confessed their true feelings towards one another. The feelings they had kept inside were finally revealed, and that made Haru feel dejected.

There was no way Tsuna would let go of Kyoko now. Kyoko could've even told Tsuna the reason why she was avoiding him. Tsuna most likely knew it all along and just decided to ignore her feelings for him. Tsuna might've hated her right now for trying to separate him from Kyoko.

Haru was hopeless. Her love was becoming more and more distant.

She languidly walked towards her desk. She settled her things and sat down. Her head rested on her palms as she stared at the window. She didn't feel energetic today. Kyoko probably greeted her, but she didn't have the strength to say "Hello." She didn't have the strength to face her at all.

When it was time for lunch, she hurriedly left the classroom to get away from Kyoko and the others. She went to the school garden and ate lunch by herself. She only ate a bit since she was too frustrated to even finish her lunch.

She thought of how stupid she was for being envious of Kyoko because Tsuna was in love with her. She was stupid for wanting Kyoko to avoid Tsuna. She felt remorseful for even thinking of something like that. Tears started sliding down her cheeks.

She saw how stupid she was for falling for Tsuna when she knew that he was in love with someone else. She was stupid for wanting him when she knew she never really had a chance. She was so stupid for having such a one sided love.

Realizing how she was not getting any less stupid as she cried, she wiped the tears off of her cheeks.

"Haru-chan?" A warm voice called out.

Haru looked up to see where the voice came from and saw that it was Chrome. Chrome had not been in school during the first few days of school because she had some 'so-called-important' things to do. Haru did hear rumors about Chrome coming to school today, but she didn't believe them that easily.

Chrome being beautiful and innocent looking is one of the famous students in school, and a lot of news spread about her each day. Now that she was in front of her, Haru was sure that she was present. Even if they weren't in the same class, Haru was very happy to see Chrome. She had a sudden feeling of comfort and solace.

"Is there something wrong, Haru-chan?" Chrome asked.

"Chrooome-chaaaan~!" She cried as she hugged Chrome who was taken aback by her sudden action.

Haru's lunch spilled on the ground. Chrome wasn't sure of what to do, so she just patted Haru on the head to comfort her. Haru told her of what happened, about how selfish she was and how she felt about everything she has done. Chrome listened to her and understood her situation. When Haru finished explaining, Chrome smiled at her and said,

"It's alright Haru-chan. I'm sure both of you will work things out. If you tell boss how you truly feel, I'm sure he will also come to understand. As humans, each of us makes mistakes. We can't be perfect." Chrome paused and seated Haru properly. "You see Haru-chan, there are times when things don't happen the way we want them to. As humans, we often become selfish and try to force things to work out. This is when we make mistakes. We do everything to make things happen, but soon we realize that they just can't. We end up regretting them. The only way to correct these mistakes is to admit and be truly sorry for them."

Haru was on the verge of crying.

"Tha… Thank you Chrooome-chaaaa~n !" She hugged her once more.

When lunch was over, Haru just sat on her seat and stared at the vast sky through the window. Looking at the sky, she felt like she could think clearly. Even if she was really comforted by Chrome, she knew something was off. There was something that she was missing out, and it was something only she could find.

Gokudera, who was already in his seat, noticed the sudden change in Haru's mood.

'What's with her? Stupid Woman.' He thought.

For some odd reason, the way she looked at the sky somehow captivated him. It was like she was in her own world, a world where no one was there but her. He realized how weird it was for him to think that way, so he immediately looked away.

Hours passed by, and classes were finally over. Haru went out of the classroom, leaving her bag in her seat. She went to the rooftop. It was the only place where she could look at the sky without any obstructions.

"Wow, it's really beautiful desu~!" She said in admiration.

It was weird how the sky was always there, but she never saw its beautiful vastness. Maybe because she was too troubled right now that she had no one else to count on. Maybe it was just as Gokudera says, she was too desperate. She lay on the floor and started to think on what to do. She closed her eyes and was deep in thought. Maybe if she were to be there all alone even just for a short while, she might find the answer.


	3. Chapter 3: Troublesome Girl

Chapter 3

After about an hour of laying there with her eyes closed, Haru became refreshed. She was able to sort things out and felt like her burden has lifted. Despite feeling a bit heavy, she knew she had to get up and move on. Nothing good would come from hoping for the impossible. It would just separate her from both Tsuna and Kyoko. She had to accept the fact that there are times in life when things don't end up the way she wants them to. She stood up, looked at the sky for a short while and walked back to the classroom.

As Haru slid the classroom door open, she stared wide-eyed at the scene in front of her. It was Tsuna and Kyoko, showing their love for each other through kissing in the empty room. They immediately backed away from each other when they saw her by the door. She couldn't blame them. They were madly in love with each other, and who would expect anyone to enter the room at this late in the afternoon?

"O-oh my! I-I'm sorry, I left my bag and… I didn't mean to intrude." Haru apologized, stuttering in her words.

Just when she was close to recovering from how hurt she was, they just had to be there and shove the truth right into her face. At that moment, she realized what she was missing out. She missed out on the fact that Tsuna and Kyoko were already more than friends, and she would seem like a stranger to them at times like this. She could no longer look at Tsuna and Kyoko the way they used to.

She could no longer hug Tsuna and talk to him like she usually does. She had no space in Tsuna's heart. Kyoko was there by his side to replace her. She could only admire him, there could be nothing more than that. She could only see him being happy beside Kyoko. They were both happy while she could just sadly look at them from afar. It was as if she was being thrown out, she was all alone. It was something that wounded her deeply. She tried hard not to burst into tears in front of them.

'Don't…' She told herself. 'Don't break down just yet.'

Silence filled the room. Kyoko didn't know what to tell Haru, and Tsuna was afraid of making her cry. They were both aware of how much they've hurt her, but they had no idea on what to do. Tears started welling up in Haru's eyes again. She felt like she couldn't restrain those tears any longer. She was hopeless. She thought of just running through the door and leaving her bag there when a sudden yell broke the silence in the room.

"Jyuudaime!" A towel suddenly hit Haru on the face. "I'm sorry if this girl suddenly bothered you and Sasagawa."

"Gokudera-kun?" Tsuna said in surprise.

"The baseball-idiot and I were running an errand for Reborn-san until I realized I left something here in the classroom. I was going to wait until the both of you left the room, but this pesky girl rashly came in." Gokudera hurriedly walked towards his seat to grab his notebook from under the table along with Haru's bag on her seat.

"I shall walk this stupid girl home now, and I'll come by later." He grabbed Haru's hand and left the room right away. The door closed with a loud slam.

Haru was already crying as they walked through the hall way. Tears freely ran down her cheeks. She tried to wipe them off with the towel, but they just kept falling.

"Your towel smells bad desu." She remarked as she continued to dry her tears.

"Look, I don't want you to burden my boss with your stupidity. Stop crying already." Gokudera ordered as he gripped her hand tighter and speeded through the halls.

He had to make sure they got out of there as soon as possible to avoid running into Hibari or any disciplinary committee member and cause a fight. He has an urgent mission from Reborn, and he can't afford to waste any more time.

"Gokudera-san, why don't you just leave me alone?" Haru yelled. "You don't even like me! Why are you doing this to me?"

"What am I doing to you?" Gokudera asked indifferently. "I saved you from doing something stupid, and now you're yelling at me. You should thank me, woman!" He snapped.

Haru fell silent. She didn't want to thank such a person. Gokudera was too much of a jerk for a savior. She didn't even have the energy to argue with him right now. She was tired, frustrated and heartbroken. She struggled to keep up with his pace as they walked towards the school entrance. Haru looked up as soon as Gokudera let go of her hand. She saw Yamamoto, who was probably waiting for Gokudera, by a cherry blossom tree.

"Yoh, Gokudera! The kid told me not to start the mission without you!" He approached Gokudera with a smile and got surprised to see Haru by his side.

"Oh, are you two dating?" He asked nonchalantly.

"Of course we're not!" Gokudera immediately replied.

"Hey, isn't that the towel you used to wipe your sweat during P.E?" Yamamoto asked.

Haru felt disgusted. She squealed and threw the towel away.

"Oi, you stupid woman! Why'd you throw away my towel?" Gokudera yelled.

"Why won't I? You used it to wipe your sweat!" She snapped.

"Didn't you know that already? You told me a while ago that my towel smelled, I thought you didn't mind." Gokudera snapped back at her.

"That was because I was too depressed to even throw it away." She growled.

"Now now," Yamamoto tried to pacify the two. "Gokudera if you continue to waste your time on this argument, Hibari might come and beat them up for us. We shouldn't take our chances and just leave the job to him."

"Hahi? What's the matter desu?" Haru asked.

"It's none of your business, stupid woman." Gokudera yelled.

"Nah, it won't hurt to tell her." Yamamoto paused to let Gokudera explain, but he didn't look like he planned on doing such a thing.

"Well, let me explain instead." Yamamoto started. "You see, there have been a lot of Mafiosos trying to harm Tsuna lately. The kid spotted some of them at the district. He says they might interrupt the special training he planned for Tsuna, so he wants us to beat them up and make them go away."

Haru sweat dropped. "I see."

'How dangerous desu.' She thought.

"Come on baseball-idiot!" Gokudera yelled. "We won't have anyone left to beat up when Hibari comes."

"Now now, you were the one who showed up late you know." Yamamoto smiled at Gokudera and turned to Haru. "See ya later Haru." He waved and left with Gokudera.

"Bye Yamamoto-san." She waved at them and walked her path home.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were comforting her." Yamamoto teased.

"Shut up." Gokudera said in annoyance. "Why would I waste my time trying to mend a broken heart? I was trying to stop her from burdening jyuudaime." He said and turned away.

"Oh my, could it be that Gokudera is a tsundere?" Yamamoto grinned.

"I said shut up, you baseball-idiot!" He barked.

Haru felt better the next day. She came to school with a smile on her face. Even if she experienced having her heart broken (for the first time), she knew she had to stay strong. She couldn't just fall every time she experiences failures in her life, she had to move on. That same morning, Kyoko approached her to apologize.

"I'm really sorry, Haru-chan." She said as tears brimmed in her eyes.

Haru couldn't stand seeing her friend cry. She loved both Tsuna and Kyoko. Yesterday, she came to realize that if she truly loved them, she would want to make both of them happy. She couldn't be truly happy with Tsuna if she sees Kyoko sad. Tsuna was just not meant for her, and she had to look for someone else. She had to look for someone she could love unconditionally, someone she could love without restrictions.

"It's alright Kyoko-chan." She forced a smile. "I want both of you to be happy. Do your best okay?"

Haru also apologized about the way she acted towards Kyoko. They hugged each other. They were finally in good terms. Chrome also visited their class that day to chat with them. She was happy to see Kyoko and Haru as friends again.

Haru was really glad to have her friends with her. She felt her energy come back. She tried to tease Tsuna and Kyoko. She even teased Chrome when she noticed her secretly looking at Hibari. They smiled and laughed like nothing happened. They were back to how they used to be.

They were having quite a lively conversation when one of the girls from their class approached Haru.

"Umm Haru-san, do you want to come with us to a goukon (group blind date)?" The girl asked.

"Goukon?" Haru repeated.

"Yeah, a friend of mine from Higashi High invited his friends, and we're lacking one more girl. Do you want to come?" She asked.

Haru gave it some thinking and agreed. Kyoko looked worriedly at Haru.

"Are you sure, Haru-chan?" Kyoko asked.

"Yeah. It's unfair how you guys have your love lives." She pouted. "I should find mine as well."

Chrome and Kyoko smiled at her.

"Alright." They said in unison.

When class finally ended, Haru walked with her girl classmates to the karaoke bar where they were supposed to meet up. They met with some boys from Higashi High, but none of them caught Haru's attention. Introductions were made, and they got into a karaoke room that the guys already paid for earlier.

Inside the karaoke room, Haru saw how some of them already got along. She just looked at their smiling faces and how they talked cheerfully like they've been friends for a long time. People offered her the microphone, but she didn't feel like singing at all. One of the guys, whose name was Takano, tried to talk to her and get on her good side, but it seemed like she wasn't feeling it today for some odd reason.

Later on, Takano asked her if she wanted to leave. She gladly said yes. She really wanted to get out of the karaoke room. They both gave their excuses to leave. The group allowed them to leave, seeing how they weren't doing anything in the room. As they went out, the guy held her hand and dragged her.

"Uhh um… Takano-san, where are we going?" She asked.

"There." Takano smiled as he pointed a motel near the district.

"Hahi?" Haru said in surprise. "Uhh no, I don't want to."

She tried to free her hand, but his grip was too strong.

"Let me go!" She struggled to get away from him. "I said let me go!"

Takano fell on the floor all of a sudden. It seemed like someone punched him from the back. Haru was too horrified of what happened, she was shaking and her knees fell weak. She sat on the floor staring wide-eyed. She looked at the person who punched Takano. To her surprise, it was a familiar face. It was a face she never thought she'd be happy to see.

"Goku…dera…san." She stuttered.

Gokudera sighed and picked her up from the ground. He carried her in his arms and walked. She was still shaking while she held on to him tightly.

"Thank you, Gokudera-san." She said as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Were you really that desperate to look for someone else?" He asked in annoyance.

Haru didn't answer him. She looked down and hid her face. Gokudera just sighed.

"If you wanted to pick someone to love, you should have picked someone as good-looking as I am." He bragged.

"You're too conceited." She said.

"Or at least pick someone as kind as jyuudaime, not some lecher who just wants to sleep with you." He said.

"You're right," She cried once more. "I am stupid."

Gokudera let out another sigh. People looked at them with different faces. Girls around them chatted about how lucky Haru was to be carried by such a hot guy. Little children thought of a prince holding his princess. Old people babbled about how the youth nowadays could be too frank about their feelings.

"Gokudera-san, people are staring…" Haru's voice faltered, and her eyes closed.

She obliviously fell asleep in Gokudera's arms. It has been a really long day for her and she barely got some sleep yesterday. She was thinking too much on how she would apologize to Kyoko. She deserved some rest and peace of mind after everything that happened. Gokudera, who noticed her fall asleep, just kept on walking.

"What a troublesome girl." He muttered.


	4. Chapter 4: New Hair, new love

Chapter 4

Haru woke up in her room the next morning. She winced as her eyes met the sunlight that got through her windows. She was fully awakened when the door opened and revealed her mother entering the room. Her mother looked at her with a smile.

"Good morning." Her mother greeted.

"Good morning." She lazily replied.

"Say Haru, who was that handsome young man that brought you here last night?"

"Hahi?" She rubbed her eyes and yawned. "What does he look like desu?"

"He had silver hair, green eyes and a cool demeanor." Her mother replied with an excited look on her face.

Haru realized who her mother was referring to. She then remembered what had happened yesterday, how she almost got into big trouble, how she was saved and how she was carried by Gokudera. Gokudera, the last person she ever thought would help her, carried her in his arms as she held on to him tightly. She remembered the way he talked to her, that baffling feeling of warmth and… safety. She turned deep red as she thought of that moment.

Her mother caught her expression and slyly grinned.

"Was it your boyfriend?" She asked teasingly.

"Hahi? N-no, of course not! He's just a friend, that's all." Haru replied with her face still tinted red.

'Why did he save me?' She thought.

"Well, you better get going or you'll be late for school." Her mother said then left.

Haru immediately got up and readied herself for school.

When Haru arrived at the classroom, she saw Gokudera cheerfully talking to Tsuna. A blush crept into her cheeks when she realized that Gokudera was the first person her eyes caught. She tried to shrug it off and quickly went to her seat. Kyoko approached her with a smile.

"Good morning Haru-chan." Kyoko greeted.

"Good morning desu." Haru greeted back.

"So, how was your goukon?" Kyoko asked.

Haru's spirit dropped when she remembered the incident with the guy named Takano. She tried to look normal as she didn't want Kyoko to get worried.

"Ughh… It was fine desu." She lied.

"Did you find someone you liked?" Kyoko asked once more.

"Sadly, that's a no. I didn't find anyone cool or good-looking. Maybe my standards are too high." She faked a smile.

"I see." Kyoko smiled at her statement. "That's good actually."

Kyoko went back to her seat as the teacher came in. Gokudera also sat on his seat. He yawned and went into his usual sleeping position. Haru started scribbling something on a sheet of paper. When she was done, she folded and passed it on to Gokudera. Hearing a soft thud on his desk, Gokudera's eyes fluttered open and noticed the paper. He opened it and saw that it was from Haru. He glanced at her. She was looking at the teacher and seemed to be concentrating on the lesson, so he just read it.

Thank you, Gokudera-san. =)

-Haru

Gokudera then scribbled something on the paper. He flicked the paper with his finger, and it landed on Haru's desk. Haru got surprised by the flying paper. She glanced at Gokudera and saw that he was back to his sleeping position. She opened it.

You have a knack of doing reckless things, don't you? Stupid woman.

-Gokudera

Haru got pissed with his reply and was about to crumple it when she noticed the post script at the edge of the paper. It made her smile.

P.S. You don't have to force yourself to like someone else. These things take time. And it wasn't really a problem.

'Tsundere?' She thought and laughed.

The teacher noticed Haru laughing and called her attention.

"What's so funny Miura-san?" He asked sternly.

Haru jumped. "Ah! Sorry sir, I was just wondering how an octopus could write something contrary to its feelings." She smiled awkwardly at the teacher.

The class looked at her questioningly.

"Octopus?" They murmured. "What does she mean by octopus?"

The teacher got angry.

"Silence!" He snapped. "Miura, answer the tenth question!"

"Hahi?" She complained.

"Six hundred eighty" Gokudera mumbled.

Haru secretly glanced at Gokudera. She was surprised with the fact that he knew the answer without even looking at the question. Maybe he did, but that was quite fast considering that it was algebra. Maybe he was a genius after all.

"Six hundred eighty" She told the teacher.

"Good." The teacher said. "Please do bear in mind that I would no longer tolerate laughing in my class next time."

"Yes, sir." She said and sat down immediately.

Haru then looked at Gokudera. He was looking at her with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Are you calling me an octopus, stupid woman?" He asked in vexation.

"Why do you keep calling me 'stupid woman', ahodera?" She snapped.

"You even admitted it yesterday." He arrogantly said.

Haru then blushed as she remembered it again, Gokudera holding her in his arms.

"Do you have a fever or something?" Gokudera asked indifferently.

"No, it's nothing desu." She looked away.

"Fine, if you say so." Gokudera said coolly.

"Umm…. Hey Gokudera-san, can you go with me after school?" Haru asked.

"Ughh… Alright…" He answered.

"Thank you." Haru turned to him and smiled gratefully.

Gokudera was taken aback by her smile. He started to turn deep red. He covered his mouth and turned away to act like he was about to sleep again.

'Crap, what just happened?' He thought. 'Why is it beating fast?'

That afternoon, Gokudera and Haru had a walk in town together. It felt awkward walking together. Usually they would fight at times like this, but now they were eerily silent. Haru glanced at Gokudera and saw that he was glancing at her as well. They both looked away immediately.

'This is really awkward.' They thought in unison.

Gokudera broke the silence. "Where are we going anyways?"

"Ughh… We're going to a salon desu." Haru answered.

"Salon? Why are you taking me to a salon?" He asked grimly.

"Well I wanted to have a haircut, but Kyoko-chan and Chrome-chan are both busy desu. Since you're the only one who's not busy, I might as well take you with me right?" She asked.

Gokudera sighed. "Fine, where is this salon anyways?"

"Here desu." Haru said as she stopped in front of a glass door.

She pushed it open, and the scent of shampoos along with other hair products welcomed them. As they walked inside the salon, Gokudera was stunned to see a familiar face.

"Eh! Lussuria from Varia?" He exclaimed.

"Hi!" Lussuria greeted.

Gokudera's jaw almost dropped to the ground. What the hell was a Varia member doing in a salon? Suddenly, he heard annoying laughter fill the room.

"Ushishishishi"

Gokudera turned around and saw that it was his enemy from the Vongola ring match, Belphegor. He was using knives to cut a customer's hair. (A.N.: Kids, do not try this at home. When cutting a person's hair, please use scissors.)

"Why if it isn't the hurricane bomb." Belphegor said.

He was still cutting the costumer's hair, not looking at it this time. He held one of his knives up, and it sharply gleamed under the fluorescent. "You want a haircut?"

"Why would I want a haircut from you?" Gokudera exclaimed. "Why are you even here? Don't you have people to assassinate?"

"My,my, Sawada's storm guardian, we're on vacation right now." Lussuria calmly said.

"This is what you call vacation?" Gokudera sweatdropped.

Haru approached Lussuria. "Luss-chan, can you please give me a haircut?"

"Luss-chan?" Gokudera repeated in shock.

"Sure my dear!" Lussuria replied and led Haru to a chair in front of a huge mirror.

'Is this girl mad? She's getting her hair cut by a trained assassin!' He thought.

As Lussuria asked Haru on what kind of haircut she wanted, Gokudera glanced at Bel. He just finished styling the hair of his customer. The customer now had the same eyeless hairstyle as he did.

"What the?" Gokudera remarked.

The customer looked pleased with her new haircut. She paid Bel and left with a blissful smile on her face. When Gokudera looked outside, he had the biggest surprise of his life. The stores across the road were out of the ordinary. There was an electronic store. His jaw dropped once again to see Levi fixing televisions.

'This must be some sort of nightmare I'm having. I have to cut down on the midnight snacks.' He thought.

Beside the electronic store was a fish shop. There, he saw Squalo chopping fish while Mammon received all the cash. Along the sidewalk, there was Gola Mosca holding a signage for a famous toy store. There were Varia members almost everywhere. He wanted to bang his head on the wall to wake up from the damn nightmare.

'What do these people think of vacation, vacation from killing people?' He thought.

"Alright, it's done!" Lussuria turned the chair and revealed Haru's new haircut.

Even if it was done quite fast, the haircut was actually good and professional looking (unexpectedly). Haru's hair was cut short. It was now barely below her ears. Unlike her old haircut, this one made people focus on her face. It placed emphasis on her beautiful eyes and bright smile.

Gokudera was captivated by the sight of Haru. To him, she looked more mature and… beautiful. He covered his mouth once more to prevent people from seeing him blush.

"Ushishishi" Bel laughed. "Hurricane-kun here is blushing."

"No I'm not, you knife bastard!" Gokudera denied.

Haru approached Gokudera and asked, "What do you think desu?"

He looked away. "It… It's different du'h."

"Are, Tsundere?" Lussuria teased.

"Shut up!" Gokudera snapped.

Haru paid Lussuria and smiled. "Thanks Luss-chan."

"You're welcome Haru-chan." Lussuria said as he received the cash. "Just come back when you want another haircut. I'll give you a discount when I'm around." He winked.

"Yeah yeah, come on." Gokudera grabbed Haru's hand and dragged her out of the salon.

Lussuria sighed as he watched them leave. "Youth"

"He's quite dishonest, isn't he?" Bel added while cutting the hair of another customer.

"They're quite cute though." Lussuria smiled and went back to business.

Haru and Gokudera walked through town in silence. Haru looked at Gokudera's hand which held hers tightly. He didn't look at her and just went straight ahead. Haru smiled inwardly and held his hand in return. Gokudera noticed her grip on his hand but didn't look at her. He was scared that if he did, he might heat up even more.

'Damn it. This stupid woman is trying to drive me crazy.' He thought.


	5. Chapter 5: Hayato

Chapter 5

It was the weekend. Reborn invited Tsuna's family, the Vongola guardians and their friends, to a beach resort. He suggested that the guardians have some relaxation before they take his extreme training plan.

All the guardians accepted the invitation except for Ryohei and Hibari. Ryohei was going on a date with Hana that day. (That would be quite relaxing compared to swimming to the extreme the whole day, don't you think?) As for Hibari, going to crowded places such as a beach resort would just stress him out, so he immediately declined. Mama and Bianchi stayed at home for the day. No one would be left to look after the house if they went along. As expected though, Haru, Kyoko, Fuuta, and I-pin accepted the invitation.

The resort had a view of the wide sparkling sea and the beautiful white sand that lined the shore. There were also souvenir shops, food stalls and cottages along the shore. Just like other resorts, the place was filled with a lot of people. Luckily, they already had a cottage reserved for them. It had a big 'RESERVED FOR VONGOLA' signage in front of it.

The cottage was in a strategic location. In front, you could see the white sand and the sea right next to it. At the back, there were food stalls, and beside the cottage was a net made for playing beach volleyball. Everyone was excited.

Lambo, I-pin and Fuuta wanted to build sand castles while Gokudera and Yamamoto were excited for Reborn's beach volleyball challenge. Tsuna just wanted to spend the day with Kyoko while Haru and Chrome wanted to check out the shops. After settling their stuff in the cottage, they immediately rushed to the changing rooms to change into their swimwear.

The guys finished changing earlier than the girls and started the beach volleyball game right away. Tsuna decided to just stay in the cottage and wait for Kyoko but then,

"Oi, Tsuna" Reborn called his attention with a megaphone.

"What do I have to do this time?" Tsuna complained.

"Get out of there and play or I'll tie you to a coconut tree for the whole day." Reborn said with a grim expression on his face.

Knowing Reborn, there was no way he would simply tie him to a coconut tree when he could always untie or burn the ropes. He was probably planning something else. Being able to imagine his consequences, Tsuna quickly came out and played.

As soon as the girls came out of the changing room, they got surrounded by tons of admirers. Guys stared at them, making them feel uncomfortable. They walked as fast as possible and shrugged all their requests. When they reached the cottage, they saw that the boys were already playing. They decided to watch the game.

Chrome hid timidly behind Kyoko and Haru because she was too shy to show herself in swim wear. They pushed her to give her some confidence, but she blushed out of embarrassment.

"Wahh! You're so kawaii, Chrome chan!" Haru hugged her.

Throughout the game, random groups of girls squealed loudly each time Gokudera or Yamamoto hit the ball. Tsuna sweatdropped at the popularity of his two friends. His spirits suddenly lit up when he saw Kyoko watching the game. Kyoko blushed when she saw him looking at her. Haru glanced at them with a sad smile. Gokudera, on the other hand was secretly looking at Haru.

The opponent's team was composed of professional beach volleyball players, but the game still ended in favor of Tsuna's team. The opponent couldn't believe they lost the game against amateur players.

"Yosh! We shall practice better team!" The team coach said with determination. "We couldn't allow this to happen next time, understood?"

"HAI!" The team firmly responded.

After the game, Tsuna approached Kyoko.

"Ne Kyoko, do you-" Tsuna's sentence got cut off when Haru intervened.

"Tsuna san, can I talk with you for a while?" She asked.

Kyoko signaled Tsuna to go, so he did.

Tsuna followed Haru to a place that was away from the crowd. The place was quite peaceful. They were surrounded by shady coconut trees. Only the soft clashing of waves against the shore and the distant chirping of the birds could be heard.

Haru was turning her back on Tsuna as she tried to gain the strength to tell him how she felt. She inhaled deeply and turned to him. He looked at her in confusion.

"What is it, Haru?" He asked.

"I…Tsuna-san…I like you!" She said.

Tsuna was speechless, but of course he already knew how she felt. He smiled at her.

"Thank you." He said.

Haru burst into tears. She felt the container in her heart open. All the emotions she had kept deep inside were finally released. Her burden has lightened.

"Thank you as well, Tsuna-san." She smiled as tears still filled her eyes.

Later on, Haru was drinking a glass of shake at a shack nearby. As she sat there alone, a guy suddenly approached her.

"Excuse me miss," The guy inquired as he pointed on the chair across Haru. "Mind if I sit on this chair while I wait for someone?"

"Ughh… Sure desu." Haru replied.

They chatted a bit. The guy told her his name was Keiichi. Apparently, he was waiting for his friends. He said they were going to stay at the resort 'til night time. Haru also introduced herself. She told him they were here 'til the night as well. Soon, they had a pretty good conversation. They started laughing at each other's jokes.

_OOOOOOOOOO_

Gokudera was playing with Lambo, Fuuta and I-pin. They were making sand castles. Lambo was proudly running around his almost finished castle.

"Nyahahaha! Ore-sama's castle is going to be aweso-" Lambo tripped over a shell and ruined Gokudera's castle.

Gokudera just ignored Lambo and was looking at something else. As Fuuta tried to comfort Lambo, I-pin approached Gokudera.

"Can I-pin rebuild your sand castle?" She asked.

"Ughh… Okay." Gokudera replied without even knowing what she was asking for. He was way too focused on what he was looking at.

"Ne Reborn, do you think Gokudera-kun is looking at Haru?" Tsuna whispered to Reborn.

"I don't just think. I know." Reborn confidently replied as he sipped through his glass of coconut juice.

_OOOOOOOOOO_

"Hmm… I don't think they're coming." Keiichi worriedly said. "It's about an hour past our meeting time." 

"What are you gonna do desu?" Haru asked.

"Since I still have a lot of time, I guess I'll look for them." Keiichi said with a smile. "You know the place right? Would you mind if you help me?"

"Okay desu." Haru agreed.

They went out of the shack and started walking.

"I think my friends mentioned something about a cliff near the ocean that they wanted to see." Keiichi suggested. "Oh and I heard that the view there is great. Maybe we should go there first."

"I know where that is desu." Haru led him there.

When they finally reached the cliff,

"As I know, this is the place you're looking for desu." Haru said.

"Yes this is the place." Keiichi said with a wicked smile.

Keiichi's friends suddenly appeared out of nowhere. They started surrounding her with scary looks on their faces.

Haru immediately knew it was a trap. She started backing off in fear until she realized that she was already at the tip of the cliff. She stopped in her tracks, but it was too late. Her foot slipped and she fell down.

She heard a violent voice call her name. As she fell, she heard sounds of strong punches from above. She could feel the wind hitting her as she was about to dive beneath the ocean. She closed her eyes in terror.

Just before she hit the water, she felt someone reaching out to her. The person held on to her hand and hugged her, protecting her from the impact of the dive. It felt warm contrary to the cold water that seemed to pull her down. She started to get dizzy and lost her consciousness.

Soon, Haru's eyes opened to see a rocky ceiling above her. She heard the loud roar of thunder and drops of rain pouring outside. It seemed like there was a ferocious storm, and it was cold. She noticed that she was laying down on something hard. She realized that she was in a cave.

'What am I doing here?' She wondered.

Haru turned to her side and saw Gokudera with his eyes closed. He was most likely asleep. She sat up and saw that a jacket covered her body. It was probably his. She wore the jacket and blushed. She could still smell his scent on the jacket. He was lying across her, sleeping helplessly on the ground. She lay on her side, supported by her elbow and stared at him intently. She couldn't resist noticing how handsome he was.

'Gokudera-san, you keep helping me. I wonder why.' She thought. 'This is bad. You're making me like you desu.'

Haru unconsciously leaned her forehead onto his. Slowly her face moved closer. Suddenly, Gokudera's eyes fluttered open. Haru jumped and immediately back away. Gokudera stared at her with wide eyes.

He touched his lips and looked at her. "Did you just-"

"No" Haru interrupted. "I didn't. I mean I was just….."

She stood up and winced in pain. She noticed that her ankle was sprained. She slid down the wall of the cave and sat on the ground in agony.

Gokudera approached her with an annoyed expression. His hand touched the wall as he moved closer. He kneeled down and trapped Haru.

"You've got guts don't you, stupid woman?" He arrogantly said.

Haru looked away to avoid his gaze.

"Umm Gokudera-san, you're too close desu." She said a blushed crept into her cheeks.

"You're too naïve. You're clumsy, too trust-worthy and idiotic." He said with a grim expression on his face.

Haru's heart clenched. She turned to him in anger.

"Yeah, well you're a je-" Her sentence got cut off.

She was surprised to find Gokudera's lips already against hers. Her eyes grew wide with shock. She tried to pull away from the kiss. She managed to release her lips shortly, but he pulled her back and kissed her once more. He was too strong. Of course he was, he was training to be worthy of being Tsuna's right hand man. Why wouldn't he be strong?

She tried to push him away with her hands, but he held them with a tight grip. She couldn't escape. She eventually gave in. The kiss was too passionate. It made her heart beat like a drum in her chest. She could no longer breathe. When he pulled away, he looked straight into her eyes. She could see his green eyes looking at her as if they could see right through her soul.

"Were you trying to make everyone worry?" Gokudera asked. "Were you that desperate to like someone else?"

He turned away. Haru could see his face turning bright red as well.

"Gokudera-san" She uttered his name.

The rain stopped. Gokudera looked outside and was silent. He faced his back to her.

"Hold on to my neck. I'll carry you back to the cottage." He said.

Haru held on to him and rested her head on his back. It was warm. She could feel the beating of his heart. He held her legs and stood up. She smiled as he carried her on his back.

"Thank you, Hayato-san." She said.

"Idiot, when did I give you the permission to use my first name?" Gokudera said in a vexed tone.

Deep inside, he was happy.


End file.
